


The Mysterious Mansion

by Allura99



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25907053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allura99/pseuds/Allura99
Summary: The whole gang enjoys a fall carnival. Well, almost everyone.





	1. Chapter 1

Relena glanced up at the moon, feeling truly happy for the first time in a long while. Her left arm was laden with various stuff animals that Heero had won in the various carnival games. She had been surprised when he gave the plush toys to her.

“What would I do with them,” he had said, shoving them at her before quickly turning away.

‘I just know where to put them,’ she thought with a smile, taking a large bite of the caramel apple that she held in her free right hand.

“So, Relena,” Duo called from behind her, “ready to check out the Tunnel of Love?”

Whack!

“Ow, Hilde!” Duo cried, rubbing the back of his head. “That one really hurt! Watch the hair!”

“Baby,” muttered the attacker. She gave Relena a wink and offered her cotton candy to the Deathscythe pilot. Duo immediately forgot the injury, devouring the sugar.

“Do you think it was such a good idea to give Duo more sugar?” Quatre asked, groaning slightly when he noticed that the person in question was now happily licking the melted sugar off his fingers.

“Probably not,” sighed Hilde. “Just be grateful that you don’t have to go home with him.”

“Hilde!”

Hilde jokingly blew him a kiss. Relena giggled at the banter between the two. Quatre and Noin were wearing amused expressions as well.

“Speaking of home, it’s getting pretty late. Any rides anyone wants to go on before we leave?” Miliardo asked, surveying the crowd.

“Of all the injustice,” Wufei muttered. “No more rides!”

Sally shoved a caramel apple into his mouth, preventing any further protest. Heero quirked an eyebrow, inwardly enjoying the Chinese man’s situation. However, the notoriously impassive soldier cringe when Relena gave a squeal of delight.

“What about that?” she cried, pointing excitedly with her caramel apple.

“What?” asked Catherine, not finding a ride in their vicinity.

“The Mysterious Mansion,” Relena said, still gesturing with the apple.

Trowa took a sidestep, narrowing missing the sticky fruit as Relena whirled to him and his sister. Noticing his movement, Relena realized why he dodged and gave an apologetic smile. She turned to the rest of the group.

“Anyone interested?” she asked, her eyes lively with anticipation.

Heero watched her motionlessly. “You’re serious,” he said, with tone holding a little disbelief.

Relena’s face fell slightly. “I’ve never been in a haunted house. I’ve heard that they were fun.”

“Well, I’m game,” Noin said, her look daring Miliardo to back out. The elder Peacecraft merely nodded.

“Me, too,” Hilde stated. Duo volunteered quickly. Sally, Catherine, Trowa, and Quatre said they would go to.

“It will be fun,” the young Arabian added readily.

Heero and Wufei exchanged looks. The Chinese man gave the caramel apple a disgusted look and threw it into a nearby trashcan. “If we must,” he said, ignoring the knowing look from Sally.

“Well, let’s go,” Relena said, fighting the urge to glance at the Japanese pilot.

Heero lifted an eyebrow slightly, surprised that Relena hadn’t asked him again. Of course, he had hurt her feelings with his earlier comment. He would have been blind to miss the pained look in her eyes.

He watched the others head to the shadowy building. Duo glanced over his shoulder and gave him a look, the look that signaled that he thought Heero was being an idiot, again. ‘Damn it,’ he thought. With a noiseless sigh, he began to follow the others.


	2. Chapter 2

The man at the ticket window was placing the closed sign up as the group arrived. However, as soon as he saw the small crowd, he smiled and removed it with a flourish.

“You’re just in time. We were about to close for the night,” he informed them. “How many are you?”

Miliardo quickly counted heads. “There are eleven of us.”

The man at the window nodded and grabbed a walkie-talkie. “Frank, we’ve got a few last minute takers.”

There was a cackle of static before the person on the other end replied.

“Okay, Fred,” Frank answered with a sigh. “How many groups?”

The ticket man, Fred, studied the group for a moment. “You said that you had eleven?”

Miliardo nodded. “That is correct.”

“It will be best if you could divide yourselves into four pairs and one group of three,” Fred said. “If you have too many at a time, you’ll miss part of the experience. Then you wouldn’t be getting your money’s worth.”

“I think we can manage,” Sally stated.

With a half-sinking, half-hopeful feeling, Relena turned and studied her friends. Quatre, Trowa, and Catherine would make up the group of three. Three of the pairs would be her brother and Noin, Hilde and Duo, and finally Sally and Wufei. The arrangement left her and Heero to make the fourth and final pair.

Catching Miliardo’s eye, she realized that her brother was aware of the situation as well. ‘And none too happy about it,’ she realized. However, the restraining hand Noin had placed on his arm ensured that her brother would not be making a scene.

“Good,” Fred cried. “The group of three should go first.”

The others watched Catherine, Trowa, and Quatre enter the dark building. The heavy doors slammed ominously behind them. With an almost leering smile, Fred picked up the walkie-talkie.

“Okay, Frank, the first group is heading your way.”

* * * * *

Every five minutes, Fred would order a new group to enter the building. Hilde and Duo had gleefully followed the trio. Sally and Wufei entered as the third group, leaving the remaining two pairs with Fred in the small, spooky courtyard.

Before the next group was suppose to enter, the trio emerge. All three appeared happy, since Catherine and Quatre were chattering and laughing as Trowa actually smiled. Relena had to hide a giggle at Fred’s awed expression.

“Do you enjoy yourselves?” she asked.

Catherine laughed. “Oh, you believe some of the costumes they had in there! Why, that one costume . . .”

She paused when Trowa placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t spoil it for the others, Cathy.”

She smiled. “You’re right, Trowa,” she said, as she turned back to the others. “I’ll think you’ll have fun.”

Heero gave a snort of disbelief.

“You don’t have to go, Yuy,” Miliardo said, ignoring the murderous look Noin was giving him. “I don’t know why you were even invited here in the first place.”

“I invited him,” Noin stated, drawing surprised looks from Miliardo, Heero, and Relena. “I was the one who told Duo to track Heero down. I thought it would be nice for all of us to get together without a war and to celebrate Relena’s birthday.”

“I’ve had a wonderful time, Noin,” Relena said, touched by the other woman’s thoughtfulness. “This has been one of my happiest birthdays ever.”

“Then I’m glad I went through all the trouble to arrange this,” Noin said, smiling.

“Okay, kids, it’s time for the next group,” Fred called from his window. He turned his gaze to Heero. “So, young man, are you going?”

Looking at Noin, he nodded.

“Good,” Fred cried. “Why don’t we let the older couple go first?”

Heero openly smirked as Noin halfway pulled Miliardo to the doors. The elder Peacecraft sibling did not appreciate Fred’s innocent comment. However, judging by the sparkle in the ticket man’s eyes, maybe the comment wasn’t so innocent after all.

Shortly after Miliardo and Noin had disappeared, Duo and Hilde emerge. Both were laughing heartily, earning an astonished look from Fred. As the two joined the others, the ticket man shook his head.

“I just don’t believe it,” he said. “I’ve seen some veterans of the Eve’s War come out of there as white as sheets. I have never seen one person come out of there laughing, never mind a whole group doing that.”

“No kidding,” Duo said, rubbing the back of his head.

Fred cocked his head to the side slightly. “Where are you kids from anyway?”

“Kansas,” Hilde answered, earning a giggle from Relena.

Fred turned to Relena, a suddenly thoughtful expression on his face. “I keep think I know you from somewhere, girl. I just can’t figure out where.”

“I don’t where you would know me from,” Relena said with a gentle smile. “I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“I’m sure we’ve never met before,” Fred stated. “But I have the feeling that I know you from somewhere.”

“If you can’t remember, then it’s not important,” Heero interjected, standing almost protectively beside Relena. “Isn’t about time for us to enter?”

Checking his watch, Fred nodded. “You’re right, son. It is. Go on ahead. Enjoy.”

As soon as the doors closed behind the final pair, Fred grabbed his walkie-talkie. “Frank, see if you can make these kids stop laughing.”


	3. Chapter 3

Relena managed one last smile back at the others before the main doors slammed shut behind her. She stood still in the complete darkness until finally a fire roared to life, casting the room in dancing shadows. She searched for a way out until her eyes fell to the three doors on the far wall.

“Which one should we pick, Heero?” she asked, addressing her silent companion.

He shrugged in indifference. With an impatient sigh, she marched toward the doors. The one on the left was locked, as was the middle door. However, the door on the right opened freely.

“I guess we have our answer,” she stated. Yet, as she was about to entering the dark, looming passage before, Heero grabbed her arm. Puzzled, she glanced back at him.

Heero appeared as surprised by the gesture as she had been. Without looking at her, he released her arm. Relena entered the passage, Heero following right behind her.

Again, the door slammed shut behind them, plunging the pair into darkness. Relena felt her way along cautiously. Her hands combed the rough-hewed walls as she walked slowly forward.

Although she was slightly uneasy, she was reassured that Heero was still there with her. She always felt safe near him, despite the numerous times he had threatened to kill her. It defied logic and her brother, but she didn’t care.

Finally, her left hand felt a change in the wall. She stopped and pressed harder against it to ensure the difference was real. “Heero, I think I’ve found some. . .”

The floor suddenly collapsed underneath her. With nothing to hold onto, she fell. Her screams echoed off the walls.

She felt Heero grabbed for her, but her arm slipped through his hands. Once she was through the floor popped back in place, preventing the Perfect Soldier from coming after her. He slammed his fists against the now unyielding wood.

“Relena!”

* * * * *

“What’s taking so long?” Milliardo growled.

Noin tried to hide her smile. “They haven’t been gone that long.”

“Maybe they found a cozy little corner in there,” Duo offered with a smirk. However, his smile faded as Milliardo threw a caustic glare in his direction. “Or maybe not,” he amended.

“Relena’s probably just trying to get the most out of her time,” Hilde added.

Noin nodded. “There’s nothing wrong in there. It’s just a carnival attraction. It’s perfectly safe.”

“It better be,” Milliardo said, his tone ominous. He glanced back at the supposedly haunted house. “And she better be or Yuy is a dead man.”

* * * * *

With a reverberating thud, Relena finally landed back on solid ground. However, her momentum sent her rolling. Dust filled the air, making her cough.

She had no idea how far she had fallen. She hoped she was no more than two or three floors at the most below Heero. Yet, she didn’t know how to find him or how he would find her.

Brushing the dust off, Relena gingerly stood up. She wished that the other had warned her of this little surprise. Then she remembered that Catherine, Hilde, nor any of the guys had emerged from the mansion dusty or dirty. She felt the fear begin to creep back in.

“Get a hold of yourself,” Relena chided aloud as she rubbed her arms. “It’s just a carnival attraction. Nothing else.”

Silently repeating the mantra, she searched the dimly lit room. Finally she found what she thought was the only door. Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and stepped forward.

* * * * *

“Relena!”

There was no response from her as he probed the seemingly solid floor. Meticulously, he moved his hands up the walls, searching for whatever she had found. He reached the slight change in the wall and pushed against it.

Nothing happened. He pulled at it, but it yielded nothing just the same. Growing frustrated, he searched for something else with no result.

He needed to find Relena. However, he seemed unable to follow her. With no other real decision, he continued forward and tried to formulate some kind of plan.


	4. Chapter 4

“Aaaaaah!”

Relena screamed and pressed herself against a wall. However, at second glance, the goblin was little more than a mask dropped from above with some string. Clutching a hand to her chest, she forced herself to move on.

She had managed a few feet before something else jumped out of the shadows. With a muffled cry, she stepped back. Then she realized it was just a grotesque dummy loaded on a spring. With a shaky smile, she continued forward.

Ever so often, something would drop from the ceiling or jump out from a wall. However, after each encounter, she grew less frightened. Finally, as she reached the end of the passage, she was laughing at the cheesiness of the tricks.

Once again, she was faced with a choice of doors. The one on the left was locked, leaving her only the door on the right. Hoping it would eventually lead upstairs, Relena opened the creaky door and made her way through.

* * * * *

“Relena!”

He paused, straining his ears. Once again, he found himself surrounded by silence. ‘Where the hell could she be?’ he fumed, continuing down yet another dimly let corridor.

‘If she hadn’t chosen this stupid thing,’ he continued, ‘I wouldn’t be in this mess. Why could she just let us go home? Why does she keep bothering me anyway?’

‘Well, she didn’t even invite you. Noin did,’ part of him countered, making Heero frown. He really didn’t know why he had come. Whenever Relena was involved, he became confused.

Which brought him back to his current problem. Where was Relena? He wanted to find her and get out of this god-forsaken house.

The corridor ended. At the conclusion, the wall contained two doors. The one on the left was locked, while the right one was opened.

“Enough of this,” Heero growled. The thin wood splintered under the force of Heero’s kick. With a smirk, he proceeded through the now opened left door.

* * * * *

Frank gave a shout of protest as he watched the young man destroy the locked door with a kick. Still gaping, he sat back in his seat, his eyes glued to the monitor. “Well, I definitely didn’t expect him to do that.”

The older couple had made their way out of the house several minutes ago, leaving the young man and his companion the only ones left inside. He knew that if the couple didn’t make it soon, their friends would become anxious. Yet, he smiled. Fred would be the one who would have to deal with them.

“I’m not finished with you two just yet,” he murmured. He located the girl on the monitor, pinpointing her location. She wasn’t that far from her friend, thanks to the boy’s unexpected detour.

“Let’s see how you react to this.” Still grinning, he moved to a console covered with buttons, lights, and switches. He threw two switches and hit a button. Chuckling to himself, he leaned back in his chair and prepared to watch the results of his handiwork.

* * * * *

With a sigh, Relena reluctantly leaned against the dingy gray wall. She was lucky the last door had led her to an ascending hallway. She had climbed up about two floors, and she desperately hoped that put her near the floor where she had left Heero.

Then the wall shifted. Relena fell backwards and hit the ground with a jarring thud. “I’m really getting sick of this!” she cried, dusting her clothes off once more.

There was a slam as the wall closed back in place. She was encased in darkness for just a moment before the lights flickered to life. Thankful, Relena looked around.

She was in a room that was hidden by the wall. Yet another door was in front of her, the only means of leaving the room. To her right, there was a window or a mirror.

Curious, she slowly walked toward it. She could see a dimly lit corridor as well as a faint reflection of herself. It was a one-way mirror.

Without meaning to, she placed a hand against the cool surface. As she was about to leave, she thought she saw a shadow move. Peering closer, Relena realized it was Heero and her heart twisted.

“Heero! Heero, it’s me! I’m in here!”

Her cries echoed back, flooding the small room with sound. However, beyond the glass, Heero seemed oblivious to her presence. Frantic, she began to beat her hands against the mirror.

“Heero! Please, turn around! I’m in here! I’m right here!”

He had reached the end of the passage, facing yet another set of doors. One proved locked while the other was opened. Relena continued her pleas as she watched Heero break the locked door down with a kick.

As he proceeded on, she became silent. He was gone. She had been so close.

“This is not the time for self-pity, Relena,” she said aloud. “Enough of this. Go find Heero.”

With a defiant flip of her hair, she opened the door and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Fred swallowed hard as the tall, older man of the group marched purposefully toward his booth. He definitely looked unhappy and seemed impervious to the pleading of the dark-haired woman pulling on his arm. Fred managed to utter a silent prayer before the young man loomed in the window.

“Where are they?” Millardo demanded without preamble.

“They should be out momentarily,” Fred said, giving the standard reply. “Perhaps they found something inside that piqued their interest.”

The flashing blue eyes darkened to an almost midnight hue. “They’d better not have. Now, I want my sister out here with us in five minutes, or I will go in after her.”

“I’m going to see where she is right now.” Fred waved the walkie-talkie as proof of his intent.

“See that you do.” With one final glare, Milliardo turned and stalked off.

When he was fairly sure that the angry young man was out of earshot, Fred turned the walkie-talkie back on. “Frank! Frank, pick up!”

There was a crackle of static as the other channel opened. “Fred, what the hell are you screaming for?”

“That girl’s brother is getting very antsy out here. Now if you don’t get her and her friend out of there in the next five minutes, he’s going in there after her.”

Frank chuckled. “Like he could.”

“You haven’t seen this one,” Fred stated. “He definitely looks like he could. So, enough games, Frank. We’ve had our fun.”

“Just ten more minutes?”

“NO!”

“Fine,” Frank grumbled, “I’ll have them out shortly.”

“You’d better,” Fred replied darkly, and with that, he terminated the connection.

* * * * *

“Great, another hallway,” Relena muttered. She was definitely sick of this place. She wanted to get out.

She quickly reached the end of the corridor. However, unlike the other passages, she only had a staircase before her instead a choice of doors. “Well, only way but up.”

She trudged up the creaky, wooden steps. At the top, she faced yet another door. With a wry smile, she preceded forward.

* * * * *

“The brother’s getting antsy,” Frank mocked in a singsong voice. “He’s coming in after her. He looks like he could.”

His hand flew over the control panels as he scowled up at the monitors. “Well, fine, end my fun then. I’ll get them out of here. Only I’ll do it my way.”

Chuckling, he flipped the final switch and pressed a final button. “The fun is not over just yet.”

* * * * *

Heero was itching for his gun. Although the weapon would provide little help in this situation, he almost felt naked without it. However, when Noin asked he leave for this outing, the request hadn’t seemed unreasonable.

‘Temper, temper,’ an internal voice, much like Duo, mocked. He groaned. That’s all he needed at the moment. Duo was inside his head.

“If I ever get out of here,” he grumbled. Yet, he didn’t complete the thought. He needed to focus on finding Relena and then a way out. He could make his other plans later.

There was a strange creak and Heero froze. It came from up above him. “Relena.”

He moved forward slowly, tracking the movement over him. If only there was some way he could get up there. Then he could get the hell out of there.

* * * * *

This hallway was a lot longer than the previous ones. The gray wooden boards groaned under her weight. The sound echoed off the vacant wall surrounding her.

“I just want out of here!” she cried. “Just let me out!”

The groaning of the wood underneath her crescendoed. She froze. And that seemed to be a mistake.

Once more the floor underneath her collapsed. In spite of herself, she screamed as she fell through. However, this fall was much briefer.

And her landing was softer this time as well. With a sigh, she rolled to her feet and dusted herself off. However, as she looked back, she froze.

“Heero?”

For a moment, he merely looked up from where he was sprawled on the floor. Then, with a long-suffering sigh, Heero rose to his feet. “Let’s go.”

“That’s it?” Relena demanded.

He studied her, obviously puzzled.

“No hello?” she explained angrily. “You didn’t even bother to see if I was okay!”

“You fell on top of me, so you should be all right.”

Relena rolled her eyes but didn’t try to argue further. Instead she peered further down the corridor. “Do you think that this way leads out?”

Heero merely shrugged. Without a glance back, he preceded forward. With a glare back over her shoulder, Relena followed.

* * * * *

“Relena! Heero!”

Relena smiled at the others’ exuberant greetings as she and Heero finally exited the Mysterious Mansion. However, she stopped smiling as her brother pushed his way forward in the group. He clearly wasn’t happy.

“What happened? Where were you?” he roared, glaring at the two latecomers. “Yuy, this is clearly all your fault.”

“No, it’s mine,” Relena said, placing herself between Milliardo and Heero. “It’s my fault. I tripped a trap door. I would have never found my way out if Heero hadn’t been there.”

Heero shot her a look at that statement but said nothing. Milliardo apparently had doubts about it as well. However, he seemed reluctant to fight with his sister.

“Well, I’d say we had a fun evening,” Hilde stated, diffusing the situation.

Quatre nodded. “Definitely.”

Duo threw a friendly arm around Relena’s shoulder. “So, what do you want to do for your birthday next year?”

“We could always get you tickets for the circus,” Trowa suggested.

There were several laughs, and groans, at that remark. Relena pondered Duo’s question for a moment. Then, she smiled.

“I guess I’ll let Noin surprise me again.”

“Sure, I can do that,” Noin answered, drawing a censorious look from Milliardo. “So, can everyone ski?”


End file.
